ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] After battling back to take a lead in the first quarter, Missouri Baptist Women's Basketball was unable to maintain its momentum. The Spartans shot 39.7 percent from the floor on the way to a 86-77 loss to Grand View (Iowa) in Friday's season opener in Des Moines.
Missouri Baptist (0-1) struggled in the opening five minutes, but powered back to gain the lead heading into the second quarter. The Spartans, thanks in large part to Amanda Rowden's five quick points, rattled-off a 9-0 run to finish the opening frame to go from a 16-10 deficit to a 19-16 lead.
Early in the second quarter, however, the Spartans lost their lead for good. The Vikings countered with a 6-0 run early in the second quarter and a 7-0 run later in the period to take an eight-point lead. Grand View did not look back from this point forward.
The first game showed promise up and down the court for the Spartans, despite the loss. Shay Robinson, the senior forward, came just a point shy of her career best of 28 with 27 points on the night. The Decatur, Ill., native tied career highs in three pointers made (seven) and attempted (12).
Briya Wilborn returned for the 2017 season and put in a big effort for Missouri Baptist. The senior turned-in 16 points and a team-high four steals. Amanda Rowden rounded-out the Spartans in double figures with 10.
Grand View was led by Blair Stillman's 20 points. The senior from Ankeny, Iowa knocked-down five of seven three-point attempts in her first career game at Grand View.
Payton Keeney followed with 19, also in her first game as a Viking, while Rylee Voss and Sydney Bertman both posted 11 points.
As a team, the Vikings out-rebounded the Spartans 41-31, but the Spartans had a big night with its new-look defense. Missouri Baptist caused 27 Grand View turnovers on the night, a number which Spartan fans may look to as a new direction for the team in 2017-18.
The Spartans will get little recovery time as the team will take-on Graceland (Iowa) on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in Des Moines, Iowa.
